Scan barcode
A review by ouijabroad
What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really enjoyed this book! There are two big twists and while I saw the first one coming from a mile away, I didn’t think the second one would play out the way it did. I really liked that aspect of it!
My only complaints are that the author mentioned the main character is bisexual in passing in the beginning and while she mentions being in love with a woman twice, every relationship in the current timeline is with a man and she primarily talks about having sex with men. I know bisexual relationships don’t look one way, however this seemed to me (as a bisexual person) that it was more a grab at being able to say this was a LGBTQIA book when it really isn’t; that didn’t add anything to the story at all because we didn’t see that kind of relationship. Another complaint is that being white in the book was the default: whenever anyone wasn’t white, the author had to mention it but if she DIDN’T mention their race you knew they were white and it was strange. It othered anyone who wasn’t white which, while it may have been the authors point to emphasize the way Naomi’s town is, it came off as odd. The last thing, and this is more of just a personal preference when it comes to writing style, I don’t need “he said” or “she said” or “I said” at then end of every single line of dialogue. Usually it’s pretty obvious who’s talking and I found myself getting annoyed.
As I said, I really enjoyed it save for these things. The pacing was great and I found myself wanting to read more and more to unravel the mystery.
My only complaints are that the author mentioned the main character is bisexual in passing in the beginning and while she mentions being in love with a woman twice, every relationship in the current timeline is with a man and she primarily talks about having sex with men. I know bisexual relationships don’t look one way, however this seemed to me (as a bisexual person) that it was more a grab at being able to say this was a LGBTQIA book when it really isn’t; that didn’t add anything to the story at all because we didn’t see that kind of relationship. Another complaint is that being white in the book was the default: whenever anyone wasn’t white, the author had to mention it but if she DIDN’T mention their race you knew they were white and it was strange. It othered anyone who wasn’t white which, while it may have been the authors point to emphasize the way Naomi’s town is, it came off as odd. The last thing, and this is more of just a personal preference when it comes to writing style, I don’t need “he said” or “she said” or “I said” at then end of every single line of dialogue. Usually it’s pretty obvious who’s talking and I found myself getting annoyed.
As I said, I really enjoyed it save for these things. The pacing was great and I found myself wanting to read more and more to unravel the mystery.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence, Misogyny, Racism, Self harm, Grief, Stalking, Murder, and Gaslighting